About Norwich
Lifestyle
Norwich is an accessible city which provides a great quality of life combined with the best elements of a modern city. An average travel to work time of just 19 minutes makes living and working in Norwich an attractive prospect, The 2001 census showed that more people walk or cycle to work in Norwich than any other city in the U.K.
Norwich is one of the greenest cities in the U.K. with miles of riverside walks, unique 1930’s parks and acres of woodland running right into the city centre. Norwich is also the lead partner of six European cities to benefit from funding by the Livable City Project to improve historic city centres.
The City Centre is one of the top 5 best retail centres in the UK with a wide variety of shops including all the big highstreet names and the Norwich Lanes for specialist shopping. The City also boasts England's largest 6-day market.
The many bars and restaurants attract 29,000 people on an average Saturday. There is a wide variety of entertainment including three multiplex cinemas and Cinema City, the local arts cinema. The Theatre Royal is Norwich's main theatre, and there is also the Playhouse which presents a wide range of productions, including comedy and music and the Maddermarket which presents professional quality plays year-round. Norwich is well known for its community of artists who open their studios to the public every spring. Music is also very popular in Norwich which has a thriving scene for musicians and audiences and features the annual Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
Norwich is set in a predominantly rural county with a lot of possibilities for walking or cycling in the countryside. The county features the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads National Park and the Thetford Forest.
For more on living in Norwich and Norfolk
Accommodation
The average property price in Norwich is approximately £168k and over 20% lower than the UK average. There is a huge variety of housing. The popular Golden Triangle to the west of the city centre is home to many students and young professionals in traditional Victorian terraces. A large amount of redevelopment in the city centre and new builds have led to new modern housing developments and exclusive executive homes. A short drive out of the city and housing is available in more rural settings and small villages.
Sporting Activities
The sports facilities are outstanding, including the recently built Sportspark on the UEA campus which hosts an Olympic size swimming pool, gym club, athletics track, climbing wall and facilities for a wide range of other sports. Unlikely though it might sound - the nearby Trowse village is home to a dry ski slope! With the close proximity of the River Yare, the Norfolk Broads and the North Sea, sailing and other water sports are popular activities. The Whitlingham Country Park is only a mile from the City Centre but offers a number of activities at the Whitlingham Outdoor Education Centre from sailing and skulling to off road biking.
Education
Norfolk has six further education colleges providing a range of vocational and academic courses. The University of East Anglia (UEA) was ranked 20th out of 109 in the Times Good University guide 2008 and UEA retains many of its graduates in the region; in 2003 48% of all graduates with a known destination were employed locally.
Norwich For Business
Norwich is home to 26 national and regional business headquarters. Apart from the land available and services specific to bioscience businesses on the NRP, there is ample space for growing businesses and the city and surrounding area offer a good supply of business parks and other premises. Rental costs of premises and offices in Norfolk are around 45-55% less expensive than Cambridge and industrial rents are 60-70% less. Norwich International Airport is only 15 minutes from the city centre with worldwide links through Amsterdam's Schipol Airport (4 flights daily with a journey time of under 50 minutes) and many scheduled flights to destinations across the UK and beyond.
The NRP Environment
Last Updated: 06/05/2009 14:54